Formula E Portland E-Prix: Nick Cassidy takes 3rd Season Win as Dennis Moves to Top of Drivers Championship
Cassidy drove with accuracy, starting tenth on the grid and finishing first overall after 32 laps of racing in a field of twenty-two vehicles. The New Zealander Cassidy took the lead many times throughout the Portland E-Prix race.
By Divyam Dubey
Nick Cassidy of Envision Racing put on a stunning effort in the inaugural race of Portland E-Prix to win his third race of the season. The New Zealander performed well, moving up from tenth on the grid to claim victory in Oregon. Jake Dennis of Avalanche Andretti, a rival for the championship, finished second to Cassidy. With this win, Cassidy moves up to second in the Drivers' standings, trailing only Dennis by one point; Pascal Wehrlein of TAG Heuer Porsche now sits in third. For the majority of the race, drivers spread out up to five in width on the main straight, braked early into corners, avoided full throttle, switched to early attack modes to try to drop positions, weaved to break the slipstream of pursuers. It was like a NASCAR race with a restrictor plate, only on a road track with single-seaters. The official tally for Formula E's 32-lap distance recorded 403 passing manoeuvres.
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Formula E Portland E-Prix: Race Result
Cassidy raced with precision, beginning in tenth place on the grid as the 22-car field battled for victory over the course of the race's 32 laps. For the first time, the prestigious Portland International Raceway hosted the ABB FIA Formula E World Championship, and the unusual balancing act between energy conservation and raw performance was on full display. From the first lap on, it was obvious that the race would be a strategic war for first place.
Several times throughout the race, New Zealander Cassidy was in the lead. However, on Lap 28, just a few laps after Portuguese driver Da Costa had taken the lead, Cassidy made the key pass and won the race. On Lap 3, Cassidy took the lead, and he stayed there until the chequered flag under heavy pressure from Da Costa, who had started in eighth place.
| Pos | Driver | Team | Time |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Nick Cassidy | Envision Racing | 50m40.629s |
| 2 | Jake Dennis | Avalanche Andretti | +0.294s |
| 3 | António Félix da Costa | TAG Heuer Porsche | +1.14s |
| 4 | Mitch Evans | Jaguar TCS Racing | +1.758s |
| 5 | Sébastien Buemi | Envision Racing | +2.22s |
| 6 | Maximilian Günther | Maserati MSG Racing | +2.307s |
| 7 | Lucas Di Grassi | Mahindra Racing | +2.982s |
| 8 | Pascal Wehrlein | TAG Heuer Porsche | +3.684s |
| 9 | Norman Nato | Nissan | +3.961s |
| 10 | Robin Frijns | ABT CUPRA | +4.3s |
| 11 | Jean-Eric Vergne | DS Penske | +4.718s |
| 12 | Stoffel Vandoorne | DS Penske | +4.982s |
| 13 | Daniel Ticktum | NIO 333 Racing | +5.47s |
| 14 | René Rast | NEOM McLaren | +6.115s |
| 15 | Sacha Fenestraz | Nissan | +6.699s |
| 16 | Sérgio Sette Câmara | NIO 333 Racing | +7.167s |
| 17 | Sam Bird | Jaguar TCS Racing | +7.638s |
| 18 | Jake Hughes | NEOM McLaren | +12.977s |
| 19 | André Lotterer | Avalanche Andretti | +16.051s |
| 20 | Edoardo Mortara | Maserati MSG Racing | DNF |
| 21 | Nico Müller | ABT CUPRA | DNF |
| 22 | Roberto Merhi | Mahindra Racing | DNF |
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Formula E Portland E-Prix: DS Penske Using RFID Scanner
A record penalty has been handed down to the DS Penske Formula E team for their usage of illegally installed equipment. The team was fined EUR 25,000 and had to start Saturday's Portland E-Prix from the pit lane when the RFID scanning equipment was discovered. The drivers, Jean-Eric Vergne and Stoffel Vandoorne, were also penalised for the incident.
On Saturday morning, before the second weekend practise session, the scanner was mounted at the pit lane entrance. The FIA claims that using this technology would violate both the technical and sporting rules since it might be used to gather live data from all vehicles.
